System and method of determining stylus location on touch-sensitive display

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive display including a plurality of touch sensors configured to detect touches on the touch-sensitive display. The touch sensors include a plurality of touch sensor jumpers that are spaced apart in the touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensor jumpers include attributes to facilitate identification of a location of a stylus relative to the jumpers. The stylus includes a device configured to obtain data relating to an attribute of at least one of the touch sensor jumpers of the touch-sensitive display, a processor operably coupled to the device to receive the data, and a transmitter operably coupled to the processor and configured to transmit to the electronic device, information based on the data. The electronic device includes a receiver that receives the information and a processor that is configured to determine the location of the stylus based on the information.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, including but notlimited to, portable electronic devices having touch-sensitive displaysand their control.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gainedwidespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, forexample, telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal informationmanager (PIM) application functions. Portable electronic devicesinclude, for example, several types of mobile stations such as simplecellular telephones, smart phones, wireless personal digital assistants(PDAs), and laptop computers with wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth®capabilities.

Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smart telephones aregenerally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smallerdevices are generally desirable for portability. A touch-sensitivedisplay, also known as a touchscreen display, is particularly useful onhandheld devices, which are small and have limited space for user inputand output. The information displayed on the touch-sensitive displaysmay be modified depending on the functions and operations beingperformed. With continued demand for decreased size of portableelectronic devices, touch-sensitive displays continue to decrease insize.

Improvements in devices with touch-sensitive displays are desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device in accordancewith the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a stylus in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a stylus in accordance with thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an electronic device in accordance with thedisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of obtaining data inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of identifying a location ofthe stylus in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another method of identifying alocation of the stylus in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a front view of an electronic device in accordance with thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes an electronic device that includes atouch-sensitive display with a plurality of touch sensors that includejumpers that are spaced apart in the touch-sensitive display. Thejumpers include attributes to facilitate identification of the relativelocation of the jumpers. A stylus includes a device configured to obtaindata relating to at least one of the jumpers of the touch-sensitivedisplay. A transmitter is operably coupled to a processor of the stylusand configured to transmit information to the electronic device. Theinformation is utilized to identify the relative location of the styluson the touch-sensitive display.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may berepeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogouselements. Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding ofthe examples described herein. The examples may be practiced withoutthese details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, andcomponents are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the examplesdescribed. The description is not to be considered as limited to thescope of the examples described herein.

The disclosure generally relates to an electronic device, such as aportable electronic device or non-portable electronic device. Examplesof portable electronic devices include mobile, or handheld, wirelesscommunication devices such as pagers, cellular phones, cellularsmart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital assistants,wirelessly enabled notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile internetdevices, electronic navigation devices, and so forth. The portableelectronic device may be a portable electronic device without Wi-Ficommunication capabilities, such as handheld electronic games, digitalphotograph albums, digital cameras, media players, e-book readers, andso forth. Examples of non portable electronic devices include desktopcomputers, electronic white boards, smart boards utilized forcollaboration, built-in monitors or displays in furniture or appliances,and so forth.

A block diagram of an example of an electronic device 100 is shown inFIG. 1. The electronic device 100 includes multiple components, such asa processor 102, e.g., a microprocessor or discrete control circuitry,that controls the overall operation of the electronic device 100.Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through a communication subsystem 104. Data received by theelectronic device 100 is decompressed and decrypted by a decoder 106.The communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sendsmessages to a wireless network 150. The wireless network 150 may be anytype of wireless network, including, but not limited to, data wirelessnetworks, voice wireless networks, and networks that support both voiceand data communications. A power source 142, such as one or morerechargeable batteries or a port to an external power supply, powers theelectronic device 100.

The processor 102 interacts with other components, such as a RandomAccess Memory (RAM) 108, memory 110, a touch-sensitive display 118, oneor more actuators 120, one or more force sensors 122, an auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 124, a data port 126, a speaker 128, amicrophone 130, short-range communications 132, and other devicesubsystems 134. Short-range communications include, for example,Bluetooth communications, near-field communications (NFC), and othershort or limited range communications. The touch-sensitive display 118includes a display 112 and touch sensors 114 that are coupled to atleast one controller 116 that is utilized to interact with the processor102. Input via a graphical user interface is provided via thetouch-sensitive display 118. Information, such as text, characters,symbols, images, icons, and other items that may be displayed orrendered on a portable electronic device, is displayed on thetouch-sensitive display 118 via the processor 102. The processor 102 mayalso interact with an accelerometer 136 that may be utilized to detectdirection of gravitational forces or gravity-induced reaction forces.

To identify a subscriber for network access, the electronic device 100may utilize a Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User IdentityModule (SIM/RUIM) card 138 for communication with a network, such as thewireless network 150. Alternatively, user identification information maybe programmed into memory 110.

The electronic device 100 includes an operating system 146 and softwareprograms, applications, or components 148 that are executed by theprocessor 102 and are typically stored in a persistent, updatable storesuch as the memory 110. Additional applications or programs may beloaded onto the electronic device 100 through the wireless network 150,the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124, the data port 126, the short-rangecommunications subsystem 132, or any other suitable subsystem 134.

A received signal, such as a text message, an e-mail message, or webpage download, is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and inputto the processor 102. The processor 102 processes the received signalfor output to the display 112 and/or to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124.A subscriber may generate data items, for example e-mail messages, whichmay be transmitted over the wireless network 150 through thecommunication subsystem 104. For voice communications, the overalloperation of the electronic device 100 is similar. The speaker 128outputs audible information converted from electrical signals, and themicrophone 130 converts audible information into electrical signals forprocessing.

The touch-sensitive display 118 may be any suitable touch-sensitivedisplay, such as a capacitive touch-sensitive display. A capacitivetouch-sensitive display includes capacitive touch sensors 114. Thecapacitive touch sensors may comprise any suitable material, such asindium tin oxide (ITO).

One or more touches, also known as touch contacts or touch events, maybe detected by the touch-sensitive display 118. The processor 102 maydetermine attributes of the touch, including a location of the touch.Touch location data may include data for an area of contact or data fora single point of contact, such as a point at or near a center of thearea of contact. The location of a detected touch may include x and ycomponents, e.g., horizontal and vertical components, respectively, withrespect to one's view of the touch-sensitive display 118. A touch may bedetected from any suitable input member, such as a finger, thumb,appendage, or other objects, for example, a stylus, pen, or otherpointer, depending on the nature of the touch-sensitive display 118.Multiple simultaneous touches may be detected.

One or more gestures may also be detected by the touch-sensitive display118. A gesture, such as a swipe, also known as a flick, is a particulartype of touch on a touch-sensitive display 118 and may begin at anorigin point and continue to an end point, for example, a concluding endof the gesture. A gesture may be identified by attributes of thegesture, including the origin point, the end point, the distancetravelled, the duration, the velocity, and the direction, for example. Agesture may be long or short in distance and/or duration. Two points ofthe gesture may be utilized to determine a direction of the gesture. Agesture may also include a hover. A hover may be a touch at a locationthat is generally unchanged over a period of time or is associated withthe same selection item for a period of time.

The optional actuator(s) 120 may be depressed or activated by applyingsufficient force to the touch-sensitive display 118 to overcome theactuation force of the actuator 120. The actuator(s) 120 may be actuatedby pressing anywhere on the touch-sensitive display 118. The actuator(s)120 may provide input to the processor 102 when actuated. Actuation ofthe actuator(s) 120 may result in provision of tactile feedback. Whenforce is applied, the touch-sensitive display 118 is depressible,pivotable, and/or movable. Such a force may actuate the actuator(s) 120.The touch-sensitive display 118 may, for example, float with respect tothe housing of the electronic device, i.e., the touch-sensitive display118 may not be fastened to the housing. A mechanical dome switchactuator may be utilized. In this example, tactile feedback is providedwhen the dome collapses due to imparted force and when the dome returnsto the rest position after release of the switch. Alternatively, theactuator 120 may comprise one or more piezoelectric (piezo) devices thatprovide tactile feedback for the touch-sensitive display 118.

Optional force sensors 122 may be disposed in conjunction with thetouch-sensitive display 118 to determine or react to forces applied tothe touch-sensitive display 118. The force sensor 122 may be disposed inline with a piezo actuator 120. The force sensors 122 may beforce-sensitive resistors, strain gauges, piezoelectric orpiezoresistive devices, pressure sensors, quantum tunneling composites,force-sensitive switches, or other suitable devices. Force as utilizedthroughout the specification, including the claims, refers to forcemeasurements, estimates, and/or calculations, such as pressure,deformation, stress, strain, force density, force-area relationships,thrust, torque, and other effects that include force or relatedquantities. Optionally, force information related to a detected touchmay be utilized to select information, such as information associatedwith a location of a touch. For example, a touch that does not meet aforce threshold may highlight a selection option, whereas a touch thatmeets a force threshold may select or input that selection option.Selection options include, for example, displayed or virtual keys of akeyboard; selection boxes or windows, e.g., “cancel,” “delete,” or“unlock”; function buttons, such as play or stop on a music player; andso forth. Different magnitudes of force may be associated with differentfunctions or input. For example, a lesser force may result in panning,and a higher force may result in zooming.

The touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display area in whichinformation may be displayed, and a non-display area extending aroundthe periphery of the display area. The display area generallycorresponds to the area of the display 112. Information is not displayedin the non-display area by the display, which non-display area isutilized to accommodate, for example, electronic traces or electricalconnections, adhesives or other sealants, and/or protective coatingsaround the edges of the display area. The non-display area may bereferred to as an inactive area and is not part of the physical housingor frame of the electronic device. Typically, no pixels of the displayare in the non-display area, thus no image can be displayed by thedisplay 112 in the non-display area. Optionally, a secondary display,not part of the primary display 112, may be disposed under thenon-display area. Touch sensors may be disposed in the non-display area,which touch sensors may be extended from the touch sensors in thedisplay area or distinct or separate touch sensors from the touchsensors in the display area. A touch, including a gesture, may beassociated with the display area, the non-display area, or both areas.The touch sensors may extend across substantially the entire non-displayarea or may be disposed in only part of the non-display area.

A block diagram of an example of a stylus 200 is shown in FIG. 2. Thestylus 200 includes multiple components, such as a processor 202, e.g.,a microprocessor or discrete control circuitry, that controls theoperation of the stylus 200. The processor 202 is coupled to a powersource 212, such as a rechargeable battery or a port to an externalpower supply.

The processor 202 interacts with other components, such as memory 204,an optional orientation sensor 208, and a transmitter 210. The processor202 also interacts with a device 206 that is utilized to obtain data,such as optical or image data, relating to one or more attributes of atleast one jumper of the touch sensors 114 of the touch-sensitive display118 of the electronic device 100.

The device 206 is operable to obtain images of touch sensor jumpers ofthe touch-sensitive display 118. The device 206 may be a camera, opticalsensor, or other imaging device, and may include, for example, acomplementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor or acharge-coupled device (CCD) sensor to convert light captured intoelectrical signals, referred to as raw image data. Optionally, thedevice 206 or stylus 200 may include a light source (not shown), such asa light emitting diode (LED).

Alternatively, the device 206 may be a radio frequency signal detector,acoustic signal detector, magnetic field detector, and so forth,configured to obtain data relating to one or more attributes of jumpers.In these examples, the radio frequency signals, acoustic signals, ormagnetic field may be utilized to identify one or more attributes ofjumpers to identify the location of the stylus 200 relative to thetouch-sensitive display 118. The attributes may include visualattributes, such as shape, pattern, size, orientation, spacing betweenjumpers, offset or distance between jumpers in different rows orcolumns, and so forth. Rows of jumpers may be identifiable based on oneattribute and columns may be identifiable based on another attribute.The location of a jumper may be identifiable based on the row and thecolumn of the jumper.

An operating system that is executed by the processor 202 may be storedin memory 204. The transmitter 210 is utilized to transmit information,such as image information and/or orientation data from the stylus 200 tothe electronic device 100. The information transmitted may be raw imagedata or may be processed data, depending on the stylus 200. Theinformation may include, for example, an identification of the relativelocation of the stylus 200 to a fixed position of the touch-sensitivedisplay 118 of the electronic device 100. Information, such as the rawimage information or orientation data may be stored in memory 204.

The optional orientation sensor 208, such as an accelerometer orgyroscope, may be utilized to detect motion or may be utilized todetermine or calculate an angle of tilt of the stylus 200 with respectto a known object, such as the touch-sensitive display 118. Theorientation sensor 208 may be utilized, for example, to detectacceleration or motion to begin capturing images, or to detect theorientation of the stylus 200 for determination of the relativeorientation of the stylus 200 to the electronic device 100.

A sectional side view of an example of a stylus 200 is shown in FIG. 3.The stylus 200 includes a body 302 in which the components of the stylus200 are housed. The body 302 is pen shaped and includes an opening atone end 304 in this example. The device 206, which in this example is acamera, is disposed in the body 302 to capture images through theopening in the end 304 of the stylus 200 and the processor 202 isoperably coupled to the device 206 to receive the raw image data in theform of electrical signals.

The processor 202 is also operably coupled to the transmitter 208 totransmit the image information to the electronic device 100. The imageinformation may be in the form of raw image data, for processing by theprocessor 102 of the electronic device 100. Alternatively, the imageinformation may be processed data. For example, the data may beprocessed to identify the location of the camera 206 relative to thetouch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100. To identify arelative location of the stylus 200 on the touch-sensitive display 118,the stylus 200 may include information stored in memory 204 relating tothe touch sensor jumpers of the touch-sensitive display 118. Each of thetouch-sensor jumpers of the touch-sensitive display 118 may be uniquesuch that the location of the stylus 200 on the touch-sensitive display118 is identified based on one or more attributes, of one or moretouch-sensor jumpers in the image obtained utilizing the device 206. Atleast one attribute of a jumper(s) in an image obtained utilizing thecamera is compared to attributes of the jumpers of the touch-sensitivedisplay by comparing image data to data stored in memory 204 to identifythe location of the stylus 200 relative to the touch-sensitive display118. The location may include, for example, x and y coordinates of thetouch-sensitive display 118. The location of the stylus may optionallyutilize the same coordinate system utilized by the touch sensors 114 orpixels of the display 112.

A front view of an electronic device 100 is shown in FIG. 4. Thetouch-sensitive display 118 includes touch sensors 114, also referred toas touch-sensing electrodes. The touch-sensors 114 are operably coupledto the controller 114 and detect touches on the touch-sensitive display118. The touch sensors 114 are not illustrated in FIG. 4 for the purposeof clarity.

The touch sensors 114 include drive electrodes and sense electrodes thatmay be disposed generally on one layer or plane of the touch-sensitivedisplay 118. When the drive electrodes and the sense electrodes aredisposed on one layer, one set of electrodes crosses over or under theother set of electrodes. For example, the sense electrodes may crossover the drive electrodes utilizing jumpers 402 such that the senseelectrodes are not electrically connected to the drive electrodes. Thetouch-sensitive display 118 may include a plurality of jumpers 402 wherethe sense electrodes cross over the drive electrodes. Alternatively, thetouch-sensitive display 118 may include a plurality of jumpers 402 wherethe drive electrodes cross over the sense electrodes. The jumpers 402may be regularly spaced in a grid pattern in the touch-sensitive display118. The centers of adjacent jumpers on the touch-sensitive display 118may be spaced apart, for example, by about 4 millimeters. The jumpers402 are shown in FIG. 4 for the purpose of illustration, but are notvisible to the eye when looking at the front view of the electronicdevice 100. The image of the jumpers 402 is obtained utilizing thedevice 206 of the stylus 200 when the stylus 200 is held at an anglerelative to the touch-sensitive display 118. For the sake of simplicity,the jumpers 402 are shown in the example of FIG. 4 with uniform shapesthat are uniformly sized and uniformly spaced. The jumpers 402 mayalternatively have different shapes, including non-uniform shapes, andmay be non-uniformly sized and/or non-uniformly spaced for the purposeof identification by image, such as described below.

Each of the jumpers 402 of the touch-sensitive display 118 may beunique. A jumper 402 may be identified based on at least one attributesuch as shape, pattern, size, spacing between jumpers 402, offset ordistance between jumpers 402 in different rows or columns, and so forth.The attribute(s) may be utilized to identify the location of any jumpers402 on the touch-sensitive display 118 from the image data received fromthe device 206. The attribute(s) may also be utilized to identify theorientation of the stylus 200 relative to the jumper(s) 402, and thus toidentify the relative location of the stylus 200 to the electronicdevice 100. The electronic device 100 and/or the stylus 200 may storevalues that are numerical representations of the attributes inassociation with a location of the jumper 402. For example, a size,shape, orientation, or pattern of a jumper 402 may be identified, basedon image data obtained by the stylus 200, and compared to known valuesof the attributes of the jumpers 402 of the touch-sensitive display 118.A look-up table, stored in memory 110 or in memory 204, may be utilizedto store the association of the values of the attributes with locationsof the jumpers 402. The associated location of a jumper 402 may beidentified based on one or more values of the attributes associated withthe jumpers 402. In one example, each jumper 402 of the touch-sensitivedisplay 118 is unique and may be identified from an image of the jumper402 obtained by the device 206 based on one or more attributes thatresult in uniqueness for each jumper. Alternatively, the jumpers 402 maybe unique in groups, such as each row or each column having uniqueattributes, and the special offset between the rows or columns may besufficiently unique to identify the location of the jumper 402 on thetouch-sensitive display 118.

A flowchart illustrating a method of obtaining data relating to anattribute of a jumper 402 of the electronic device 100 is illustrated inFIG. 5. The method may be carried out by software executed, for example,by the processor 202. Coding of software for carrying out such a methodis within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art given thepresent description. The method may contain additional or fewerprocesses than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order. Computer-readable code executable by the processor 202of the stylus 200 to perform the method may be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium, device, or apparatus, which may be anon-transitory or tangible storage medium, device, or apparatus.

The method may be performed, for example, when the stylus 200 touchesthe touch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100. Datarelating to an attribute of one or more jumpers 402 is obtained 502. Thedata may be, for example, raw image data obtained 502 by convertingcaptured light into electrical signals. The image data may include datafor one or more jumpers 402. The stylus 200 may capture images at arelatively low rate such that the time between capturing images isrelatively long when no jumper is present in a captured image and maycapture images at an increased rate such that the time between capturingimages is decreased when a jumper is detected. A jumper may be detectedbased on the raw image data. Alternatively, the stylus 200 may always beon and may continually capture images at the same rate. Optionally, thestylus 200 may include a button to manually turn on the stylus tocapture images, or may include a sensor, such as a proximity, pressure,or force sensor, to detect when the stylus 200 contacts thetouch-sensitive display 118 and, in response to detecting that thestylus is in contact with the touch-sensitive display 118, to begincapturing images. Alternatively, the housing of the stylus may beconductive, and the touch sensors 114 may detect when the stylus 200contacts the touch-sensitive display 118.

Information is transmitted 504 to the electronic device 100 via thetransmitter 208 of the stylus 200. The information may include raw dataor processed data. Other data may also be transmitted to the electronicdevice 100. For example, orientation data from the optional orientationsensor 210 may be transmitted to the electronic device 100. In thisexample, the information is raw image data that is transmitted to theelectronic device 100 for processing by the processor 102 of theelectronic device 100. The information may be sent to the electronicdevice 100 utilizing, for example, short-range communications. Theprocess may be repeated as the stylus 200 remains in contact with thetouch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100. The stylus 200may be stationary relative to the touch-sensitive display 118 whilemaintaining contact with the touch-sensitive display 118 or may moverelative to the touch-sensitive display 118 while maintaining contactwith the touch-sensitive display 118. Maintaining contact with thetouch-sensitive display 118 includes being within a threshold distanceof the touch-sensitive display 118. The process is repeated tofacilitate identification of the location during movement of the stylus200 on the touch-sensitive display 118. Images of touch-sensor jumpers402 may be repeatedly obtained and image information may be transmittedto the electronic device 100. The stylus 200 may repeatedly captureimages. For example, when a jumper 402 is detected, the stylus 200 maycontinue to obtain images. Alternatively, the stylus 200 may continue toobtain images when the stylus 200 is within a threshold distance fromthe screen, as determined based on a previous captured image or based ondata from a sensor, such as a proximity, touch, pressure, or forcesensor.

A flowchart illustrating a method of identifying a location of thestylus 200 on the touch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device100 is illustrated in FIG. 6. The method may be carried out by softwareexecuted, for example, by the processor 102. Coding of software forcarrying out such a method is within the scope of a person of ordinaryskill in the art given the present description. The method may containadditional or fewer processes than shown and/or described, and may beperformed in a different order. Computer-readable code executable by theprocessor 102 of the electronic device 100 to perform the method may bestored in a computer-readable storage medium, device, or apparatus,which may be a non-transitory or tangible storage medium, device, orapparatus.

The information transmitted from the stylus 200 is received 402 by theelectronic device 100. In this example, the information includes rawimage data that includes data relating to an image of at least onejumper 402 of the touch-sensitive display 118. The information may alsoinclude, for example, an angle of tilt of the stylus 200. Theinformation may be received utilizing the short-range communicationsystem 132. The information is processed to determine 604 an attributeof the jumper(s) 402. The information may be processed to identify theorientation of the jumper 402 relative to the stylus 200. The angle oftilt of the stylus 200 may be determine with information from theaccelerometer 136 to identify the angle of the stylus 200 relative tothe touch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100. One ormore values related to the attribute(s), such as described above, may bedetermined. The information is utilized to identify 606 the location ofthe stylus 200 on the touch-sensitive display 118 by comparing one ormore values of the attribute(s) of uniqueness of the jumper(s) 402 to atleast one value stored in memory, such as memory 110. When a match isidentified, the associated location of the jumper(s) 402 may beidentified, and the location of the stylus 200 on the touch-sensitivedisplay 118 is identified. The location of the stylus 200 relative tothe jumpers 402 is determined based on the obtained image and based onthe location of at least one jumper 402 in the image. Because thelocations of the jumpers 402 are known, and the position of the stylus200 relative to the jumpers 402 is determined, the position of thestylus 200 relative to the touch-sensitive display 118 is able todetermined. The location of the stylus 200 may include x and ycoordinate values that correspond to a known coordinate system of thetouch-sensitive display 118. Alternatively, the location may includerelative distance, including x and y coordinate distances, between thelocation of the stylus 200 and a previously determined location of thestylus 200.

The process may be repeated to identify the location of the stylus 200when contact of the stylus 200 with the touch-sensitive display 118continues, for example, during movement of the stylus 200 on thetouch-sensitive display 118. Thus, image data may be repeatedly receivedand processed to identify the location of the stylus 200.

A flowchart illustrating another method of identifying a location of thestylus on the touch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100is illustrated in FIG. 7. The method may be carried out by softwareexecuted, for example, by the processor 202. Coding of software forcarrying out such a method is within the scope of a person of ordinaryskill in the art given the present description. The method may containadditional or fewer processes than shown and/or described, and may beperformed in a different order. Computer-readable code executable by aprocessor of the stylus to perform the method may be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium, device, or apparatus, which may be anon-transitory or tangible storage medium, device, or apparatus.

The method may be performed when the stylus 200 touches thetouch-sensitive display 118 of the electronic device 100. Data relatingto an attribute of a jumper 402 or jumpers 402 is obtained 702. The datamay be, for example, image data obtained 702 by converting capturedlight into electrical signals. The obtained image data includes imagedata of at least one touch-sensor jumper 402. The data may also include,for example, an angle of tilt of the stylus 200 relative to theelectronic device 100. The data is processed to determine 704 at leastone attribute of the jumper(s) 402. The data may be processed toidentify the location and/or orientation of the stylus 200 relative tothe jumper(s) and to determine at least one attribute of the jumper(s)402. One or more values related to the attribute(s) may be determined.The data is utilized to identify 706 the location of the stylus 200 onthe touch-sensitive display 118 by comparing the value(s) of theattributes of the jumper(s) 402 to or values stored in memory, such asmemory 110. When a match between the determined values of the attributesand the values stored in memory is identified, the associated locationof the jumper(s) 402 is identified and the relative location of thestylus 200 is determined based on the data obtained. Information istransmitted 708 to the electronic device 100. In this example, theinformation includes an identification of the location of the stylus 200relative to the touch-sensitive display 118.

A front view of another example of an electronic device 100 is shown inFIG. 8. The touch-sensitive display 118 may include a plurality ofjumpers 802 that may be regularly spaced in a grid pattern in thetouch-sensitive display 118. The jumpers 802 are shown in FIG. 8 for thepurpose of illustration, but are not visible to the eye when looking atthe front view of the electronic device 800. The jumpers 802 include anidentifier 804, which in this example is an additional piece, part, orsection along one side of the jumper 802. The identifiers 804 may be thesame material as the jumper 802 and may be formed when the jumpers 802are formed. The jumper attributes that are utilized to identify thelocation of the jumper include the size and the location of theidentifier 804 in this example. The size and location of the identifier804 is exaggerated for the purpose of illustration. In this example, thelocation of the identifier 804 relative to the jumper 802 is differentin each column of jumpers 802 such that the identifier 804 is farther tothe right side of the touch-sensitive display 118 for a column that iscloser to the right side of the touch-sensitive display 118 than anothercolumn. The size of the identifier 804 is different in each row suchthat the identifier 804 is longer in a row of jumpers 802 that is closerto one side, e.g., the bottom, of the touch-sensitive display 118 thananother row of jumpers 802 closer to an opposite side, e.g., the top, ofthe touch-sensitive display 118. Thus, the row and column of the jumper802 and the associated location on the touch-sensitive display 118 maybe determined based on the location and size of the identifier 804.

Utilizing visually unique jumpers of the touch-sensitive display 118,the location of the stylus 200 is determined relative to thetouch-sensitive display 118 from image data obtained by the stylus 200.The location information may be utilized to provide input to theelectronic device 100, for example, for drawing on the touch-sensitivedisplay 118, identifying input of displayed selection options with thestylus 200, and so forth. Jumpers that are utilized for touch detectionmay also be utilized to determine the location of the stylus 200 on thetouch-sensitive display 118. Additional printing or patterning ofindicia on or in the touch-sensitive display 118 is not required.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore,indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A stylus comprising: a device configured toobtain data relating to an attribute of at least one touch sensor jumperof a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device; a processoroperably configured to receive the data from the device; a transmitteroperably coupled to the processor and configured to transmit, to theelectronic device, information based on the data.
 2. The stylusaccording to claim 1, wherein the data comprises raw image data.
 3. Thestylus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured toidentify a location of the device relative to the touch-sensitivedisplay based on the data.
 4. The stylus according to claim 1, whereinthe information comprises an identified location of the device relativeto the touch-sensitive display.
 5. The stylus according to claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to identify an orientation of thedevice.
 6. An electronic device comprising: a touch-sensitive displayincluding a plurality of touch sensors configured to detect touches onthe touch-sensitive display, wherein the touch sensors include jumpersthat are spaced apart in the touch-sensitive display, and wherein aplurality of the jumpers include attributes to facilitate identificationof a location of a stylus relative to the jumpers; a processor coupledto the touch-sensitive display; a receiver coupled to the processor andconfigured to receive information transmitted from the stylus.
 7. Theelectronic device according to claim 6, wherein the attribute comprisesa shape of the jumpers.
 8. The electronic device according to claim 6,wherein the processor is configured to receive raw image datatransmitted from the stylus to the receiver.
 9. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to identify alocation of the stylus relative to the touch-sensitive display based onthe information transmitted from the stylus.
 10. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to receive anidentification of a location of the stylus relative to thetouch-sensitive display.
 11. The electronic device according to claim 6,wherein the processor is configured to identify a location of the stylusrelative to the touch-sensitive display based on the information. 12.The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the processor isconfigured to identify an orientation of the stylus based on theinformation.
 13. A method comprising: obtaining data relating to anattribute of at least one touch sensor jumper of a touch-sensitivedisplay of an electronic device; determining the attribute of the atleast one touch sensor jumper based on the obtained image; identifying alocation of the stylus relative to the touch-sensitive display bycomparing the attribute to attributes of a plurality of touch sensorjumpers including the at least one touch sensor jumper of thetouch-sensitive display.
 14. The method according to claim 13, whereinthe attribute comprises a shape of the jumpers.
 15. The method accordingto claim 13, wherein the information comprises image data obtained froma device of a stylus.
 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein themethod is performed at the electronic device and obtaining informationcomprises receiving, at the electronic device, raw image datatransmitted from the stylus.
 17. The method according to claim 13,comprising identifying an orientation of the device based on theinformation.
 18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method isperformed by a processor of the stylus, and wherein location data istransmitted to the electronic device.
 19. A computer-readable storagedevice having computer-readable code stored thereon, thecomputer-readable code executable by at least one processor of theelectronic device to perform the method of claim
 13. 20. A systemcomprising a stylus including: a device configured to obtain datarelating to an attribute of at least one of a plurality of touch sensorjumpers; a first processor operably coupled to the device to receive thedata; a transmitter operably coupled to the first processor andconfigured to transmit information based on the data; an electronicdevice including: a touch-sensitive display including a plurality oftouch sensors configured to detect touches on the touch-sensitivedisplay, wherein the touch sensors include the plurality of touch sensorjumpers that are spaced apart in the touch-sensitive display, andwherein a plurality of the touch-sensor jumpers include attributes tofacilitate identification of a location of the stylus relative to thejumpers; a second processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display; areceiver coupled to the second processor and configured to receive theinformation from the stylus.